Hunting Dogs 2: Fox and Hound
by spotpc
Summary: When a witch accidentally gets transported to the Feudal Era, Amon and Robin have to follow him. But they'll find more than they bargained for on the other side. Shocking revelations await and a fight you won't want to miss. Complete. R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

This is the long awaited sequel to Hunting Dogs. If you haven't read that, you might consider going back and doing that first. You might get lost in this one otherwise. As always, I don't own any of these characters except for Volando Petra. If you want to use him, let me know.

Enjoy! Read and review please. I can't please everyone sono flames.

Story Notes:

I realize that I might mention some places or things in this story that might be complete mysteries to other people. So I've included these notes to give everyone a clue.

Central Park - An enormous and very famous park in the middle of Manhattan Island, New York City. Its attractions include dozens of statues and small monuments, open carriage rides, and impeccable landscaping. Many paths for walking and cycling wind through the park's fields and glades. And it boasts a good sized lake as well with seasonal boating. This patch of nature in the middle of the big city is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

Lake District - A section of the small mountain range in Northern England. Named for the many alpine lakes that dot the landscape, this area is famous for its natural beauty. Hiking and fishing are common pass-times there with perfect places for both. For centuries, the district has been a refuge for European poets, writers, and artists who find themselves inspired by the stunning scenery.

Hunting Dogs 2: Fox and Hound

1

Amon leaned back in the shadows that sprawled across a concrete wall, listening to his team chattering over the coms.

"Hey, isn't the Higurashi shrine out this way?" Sakaki asked.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to send a letter back," Dojima commented.

"Inuyasha and Kagome won't be happy about us hunting in their territory," Michael said. "Didn't we agree…?"

"It can't be helped," Karasuma replied.

While the others wandered systematically along the suburban streets, Amon stood still. He wouldn't move until the witch was sighted. And Robin wouldn't move until he did. He could see her floating in the pool of light under a streetlamp on the next block. He couldn't help but be amazed again. Robin had a nose for a case like nobody else. She was the one who had pinpointed the center of the witch's territory in this neighborhood. The others wondered how they ever got along without her. Amon still remembered Kate. In fact, he couldn't forget her. But he'd rather have one Robin than a whole army of Kates. He'd never say that, of course. She knew it already anyway. After all that's happened, how could she not? She turned her head to look at him for a moment. He gave her a glance and she turned away again. She was a great hunter but sometimes she needed a little encouragement. It had been an easy decision to keep the jewel shards away from her. He'd have to get in touch with Kagome after this hunt and send the witch's shard off with her. Letting Kagome take the shards ensured that they would stay away. But it couldn't be easy for Robin. Knowing that he was still watching her. Knowing that he still had his hand on his gun.

2

"Is this guy dead or alive?" Sakaki asked.

"Dead, I think," Dojima replied.

"Was he famous?" Michael asked.

"No, not really," Dojima said.

"Did we know him?" Sakaki asked.

"Yes," Dojima said. "You've got sixteen left."

"Did he die within the last year?" Karasuma asked.

"Yes," Dojima said. "But I thought you weren't playing, Miho."

"I didn't think so either," Karasuma said. "But it's hard to focus for so long."

"It won't be much longer," Robin said.

"How do you know that?" Dojima asked.

"She doesn't, she's just guessing," Karasuma said.

"We'll wait as long as we have to," Amon said.

"So the guy's not famous but we know him and he died recently," Sakaki said.

"We know a lot of guys who died recently," Michael said.

"You've got fifteen questions left," Dojima said.

"Was he an important person?" Sakaki asked.

"To us he was," Dojima replied.

"I know who it is!" Michael laughed.

"Don't say it," Dojima said.

"And you're not sure if he's dead?" Michael asked.

"It's Zaizen," Sakaki practically squealed.

"He's dead," Robin said.

"You're sure?" Sakaki asked.

"I'm sure," Robin confirmed.

"Who's turn is it?" Dojima asked.

3

Robin turned and looked at Amon again. Shouldn't they call it a night? He glanced back again. No, they couldn't leave yet. It had been only an hour. He had staked out street corners for longer. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other. The witch was close. He could smell him.

"I see him," Sakaki said, suddenly serious.

"Where?" Karasuma demanded.

"He's going west down block 2."

"Stay with him," Amon said.

They moved smoothly around to cut off their quarry. He was surrounded before he knew it.

"It's definitely him," Karasuma said.

"Than what are we waiting for?" Sakaki asked, drawing his gun behind the witch's back.

"Take him fast. Don't let him use his shard," Amon said.

Two shots rang out in the dark street. Robin used her craft to destroy the body but she knew better than to touch the jewel shard that was left behind.

"It's mine," Dojima squealed and lunged to grab the shard. But another sound made her stop. A little plume of concrete dust rose from a newly made hole in the sidewalk. A sharpened stone peg lay on the ground a few inches from Dojima's frozen hand. Nobody moved, or even breathed. A moment later, another peg made impact with the concrete.

"Sniper," Amon hissed.

All five hunters dove for cover. Karasuma and Dojima ducked behind a mailbox. Sakaki flattened himself against a light pole. Amon and Robin threw themselves down behind a street railing, but not before Amon snatched up the shard from the ground. Another stone peg struck the mailbox with a deafening clang. Dojima yelped.

"Who's doing this?" Karasuma demanded when it got quiet again.

"It must be another witch," Sakaki said, trying to make himself as thin as possible behind the light pole.

"Michael," Amon commanded.

"You were right, Haruto," Michael's voice sounded comforting over the coms. "It's one of the shard-witches, Volando Petra. And… Oh my god, he's the last one on the list. Once he's gone, Amon and Robin are home free."

The words went through Robin and Amon like bullets. This was it, the mission's end. And then they could forget about the crazy mess that had been their lives for months. They could go back to what had been theirs before. Peace, or what seemed like peace in comparison. And all they had to do was bring down this sniper.

Amon turned his head and nodded to Robin. She pulled her glasses out of her pocket and slipped them over her emerald eyes. He was ready with his gun drawn. It was easy enough to pinpoint where the pegs were coming from. Petra wasn't even making an effort to hide. He was standing on a rooftop across the street in plain sight. He's overconfident, Amon thought. The jewel shard won't save him. The others were already returning fire but the witch was dodging every shot. Or they just missed… Amon couldn't help but have that thought as he signaled to Robin again. She wasn't always the best at taking orders, but tonight she was in rare form. The witch was moving pretty fast but Robin managed to hit close enough to knock him backwards out of sight on the roof. Amon was over the railing in half a second and Robin was right behind him. They could hear metallic skittering as Petra made his getaway down the fire escape at the back of the building. They had chased him down two blocks before they realized that the others weren't with them. Their colleagues had been slower to react and now they were sprinting to catch up. It didn't matter though. Amon knew that if he and Robin stopped to wait, Petra would get away. They couldn't afford to let that happen.


	2. Chapter 2

4

Robin's eyes widened as the high hill of the Higurashi shrine rose up in front of them. The little flurry of movement she and Amon had been following appeared again at the bottom of the staircase. Robin groaned inwardly. There were no words to describe her dislike for those stairs. She wanted to ask Amon if they could stop and rest first but she knew what he would say. She glanced at him as she kept moving. He was several paces in front of her as expected. He'd always been the faster runner. He didn't seem to slow down as he hit the stairs. Robin followed him as best she could. She knew that he wouldn't wait if she fell behind. By the time she reached the top of the stairs, he was already standing with his gun trained on the closed door of the well-house on one side of the shrine. He glanced at her as she came up beside him. Ordinarily, he would have told her to burn down the little building with the witch inside it. But he wanted to avoid damaging Kagome's home.

"Petra," Amon snarled, "There's only one way out of there."

At first, nothing happened. Amon and Robin stood motionless outside, watching. There was a scuffling inside as Petra moved. But instead of the door opening, there was a faint pink glow around the door frame and then silence again. Amon moved first. Taking a huge risk, he pulled open the well-house door and found the little building empty. The old wooden well stood alone in the middle of the dirt floor below the short staircase. Robin went down the stairs and approached the well. Below the wooden beams, there were stone walls stretching down into darkness. Amon came to the other side of the well and nodded to her. She shot a small burst of fire down the shaft, revealing only dirt at the bottom.

"That's impossible," Robin said. "How did he get out without us seeing him?"

"Maybe we did see him," Amon replied cryptically.

Robin stared at him for a moment, not understanding.

"Kagome never told us where her time portal was," Amon reminded her.

They both looked down the well again, trying to reconcile what they saw with what they knew to be true. Could it be true? Robin didn't have time to really think about it before Amon hopped on top of the wood frame and plunged down into the darkness. Pink light flashed in Robin's eyes and she knew he was gone. She didn't know exactly what she'd find on the other side of the portal, but she knew that she couldn't let Amon face it alone. She hit the dirt floor of the well and fell to her knees. Nothing happened. No, she thought, this can't be right. Was she stuck down here? She lit a tiny flame to see by. There was a narrow ladder leading back up to the top, but that wasn't what caught Robin's attention. It was the jewel shard lying in the dirt. It must have fallen out of Amon's pocket as he fell. She knew she shouldn't touch it, but she couldn't just leave it here. As she bent to pick up the shard she was unprepared for what would happen. The moment she closed her hand on the stone, the pink light flashed again. It was all around her, pink and purple in every shade. And she realized she wasn't touching the ground anymore. A moment of panic swept over her and she clutched the shard tighter in her hand. The ride didn't last long and suddenly, she was on the ground again. But it was different now. There was moonlight streaming down from the top of the well, as if the roof over it had disappeared. And there were vines crawling down the walls. Robin had never liked climbing trees, but it looked like she didn't have a choice. There was no ladder. As she climbed, she wondered if she would see Amon at the top. If he was able to track the witch, he wouldn't hesitate. But apparently, he couldn't. His dark outline was the first thing she saw when she poked her head up out of the well. He was just standing there in the middle of the forest clearing where the well stood. He turned around when he heard Robin moving.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Not where, when," he said.

"What century is this?" she asked.

"The sixteenth," he replied.

5

Inuyasha lifted his nose to the night sky, sniffing curiously

"What is it?" Kagome asked, raising her voice slightly over the crackling fire.

"I thought I smelled something familiar," he said.

"Really? What?"

"It's nothing."

Kagome frowned. Why did he always have to be secretive like that?

"You want to go look?" she asked.

"No," he said quickly.

She was glad that the others had gone to bed early. Having them there would have only complicated things. She stood up from her seat by the fire and was about to start talking when something stopped her. It was a jewel shard, close by too.

"Inuyasha," she said. "We have to check this out. There's a jewel shard out there."

"Really? Where?"

"Close to the well, I think."

She jumped on his back and they took off at the speed of thought.

"There's another shard," she said as they got closer.

One shard just appearing like that was highly unusual, but two shards appearing separately was unheard of.

"Could someone be baiting us?" Kagome asked, wondering if they should have woken the others.

"Doesn't matter, we're going anyway," Inuyasha said.

6

Amon held his hand out to Robin. He knew she had it. He wasn't surprised that she had followed him down the well. But he didn't understand why she needed a jewel shard to use the portal and he didn't. Robin gave up the shard without a word. Amon made a mental note to give it back to her for the return trip. But that would be after they tracked down Volando Petra. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to do that now. The only sound coming from his com unit was static so he pulled it off his ear and stuffed it in his pocket along with the shard. With grass under his shoes instead of concrete and starlight instead of streetlights, he felt a bit lost. He had to admit that, even if it was only to himself. He also had to admit that it was comforting to not be alone there. Even though she was only standing nearby and staring up at the sky, Robin's presence made him feel better somehow, more in control. Everything was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

"Well, well. I thought I smelled something," a familiar voice sneered from the dark tree line.

"Inuyasha, be nice."

Inuyasha and Kagome were walking towards the well, as if nothing were strange about this situation.

"You have a jewel shard," Kagome said. "That's how you got through the well."

"We were chasing a witch," Robin explained.

"And he led you here? He has a shard too, like the others?" Inuyasha asked.

Robin nodded.

"But I didn't need a shard to activate the portal," Amon broke in.

Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other.

"That makes sense since you're related to him," Kagome said, looking at Amon but pointing at Inuyasha.

"What?!" Inuyasha protested.

"But I think you're from Sesshomaru's side of the family," she continued.

"Well, that's obvious," Inuyasha grumbled.

Robin turned from Kagome to Amon and back again.

"Are you saying he's…?"

"Part dog demon. Yeah," Kagome confirmed.

"What exactly do you mean?" Amon asked, narrowing his eyes.

Kagome looked up at the sky full of stars overhead.

"We'll explain once we get inside," she said. "It's not safe to stand out here at night."

"Why not?" Robin asked as they all started walking.

"There might be demons around," Inuyasha said.

"What about the witch?" Amon asked.

"We'll get the others and see what we can do tonight," Inuyasha said. "But we'll probably have to wait and pick up his trail in the morning. Like Kagome said, it's not safe to be out here at night."


	3. Chapter 3

(This is the longest chapter so please bear with me. It has some of the best moments in the story.)

7

Ten minutes later, Robin sat warming her hands by a roaring fire in the middle of Kaede's home.

"I must say it's convenient not to have to use kindling," said the old priestess.

Robin gave her a shy smile.

"It's nothing, really," she said softly.

"On the contrary, that's quite a talent you have," Kaede insisted.

Robin glanced at Amon to see if he was listening. He was, even though he was trying to hide it. He stood by the door, waiting. A moment later, Inuyasha and Kagome and their entire crew came trudging back through the doorway into the little house.

"I guess you were right, Inuyasha," Miroku was saying. "It'll be much easier to track him in daylight."

"Even with Kagome's jewel shard sense, we'd be at a huge disadvantage if we confronted him now," Sango agreed as she sat down by the fire with Kilala in her lap.

"Besides, a low level demon might do the job for us overnight," Inuyasha pointed out. He settled into a corner and leaned his sword against the wall beside him.

"What are the chances?" Amon asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Not good enough," Inuyasha said, throwing a brief glare at Amon first.

"With his powers, he'd have a good chance of defending himself," Miroku said. "Especially with a jewel shard."

"We'll find out in the morning," Kagome said. She sat down on her sleeping bag by the fire and lifted Shippo down from her shoulder. He was half asleep but he struggled into a sitting position and looked up at Robin.

"You're from the future?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied simply. She'd never talked to a real demon before and she wasn't quite sure what to say. But he seemed like a normal kid so she forced herself to relax.

"And your power is fire?"

Robin nodded.

"My power is fire too," he said and he opened a blue swirling flame in the palm of his hand.

Robin smiled a little and made the fire in front of them flare up for a moment. Shippo smiled back at her and made his blue flame twist into a spiral. Robin smiled and did the same with her fire. She looked up at Amon, still standing by the door.

"Amon," she said just to get his attention.

Shippo let his flame fade away and followed Robin's gaze. Amon turned halfway around to look over his shoulder at Shippo and Robin. Shippo quickly turned his back, a nervous look on his face.

"He's from the future too?" he asked.

"Yes," Robin told him.

"He reminds me of somebody."

Robin couldn't resist a silent laugh and neither could Kagome.

"Do you think we'll meet Sesshomaru while we're here?" Robin asked.

"Probably not," Kagome said with a shake of her head. "And it probably wouldn't be a good idea anyway."

"Why not?" Robin asked.

"Sesshomaru isn't so crazy about humans," Shippo began.

"But in addition to that," Miroku continued holding a hand out towards Amon, "since you are a descendant of his, he is in a unique position of power over you."

Amon turned around sharply to face the group. Robin tried to make eye contact but he wouldn't meet her gaze. There were few things he hated more these days than being under someone else's control. Robin could smell the trouble brewing. Perhaps a clarification was in order.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked gently, making sure Amon was listening.

"Your father believed that witches were born from gods," Miroku said, settling onto the floor across the fire from Robin. "Demons are often mistaken for gods by simple people. In our present, there are those who seek to destroy all demons. In your future, demons must have interbred with humans in order to preserve their bloodlines. It's not surprising that their descendants of mixed blood identified their ancestors as gods. It's also not surprising that powerful demons like Sesshomaru and his offspring joined this trend. Since Amon is your partner, I'm sure you've noticed it already. He can move a little faster. Heal a little faster. See, hear, smell a little better than other people. And he was able to use the well without a jewel shard. That's a sure sign that he's from a dog demon's bloodline."

Robin looked up at Amon for a moment. He was listening closely now. Miroku took a deep breath and continued.

"Sesshomaru has great power over Amon because he's in the past. The things he does now can directly affect the future. If he finds out who Amon really is, with his prejudice against humans, he won't be pleased. If it bothers him enough to have a human descendant, he can do more than just kill him now. He can fix it so that Amon never exists at all. Cast him into the deepest oblivion there is."

A hush fell over the room. Robin looked up at Amon again and this time, he looked back. He would be alright now, she knew.

"But we hardly ever see him," Kagome said reassuringly. "So I'm sure it won't be an issue."

8

"Wait! Wait for me, Sesshomaru-sama," Jaken wailed as he rushed to keep up with his master. The glare from the morning sun in his eyes slowed him down.

Sesshomaru paid no attention to him, seeming satisfied that Aun and Rin were at his side. Rin turned around in the saddle on Aun's back and threw a smile back at Jaken.

"Hurry up, Jaken-sama. You'll get left behind."

"I know that, Rin."

With one last sprint, Jaken managed to jump onto Aun's tail and he clung there resting. Still paying no attention, Sesshomaru walked on, his fluffy white tail waving from side to side behind him. Despite repeated attempts, Jaken couldn't figure out what was drawing his master to this area. This was Inuyasha's territory. It wasn't wise to be loitering around here. Jaken would never say so out loud of course. He valued his life far too much. He was just getting his breath back when Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks. Aun stopped with him, getting Jaken's attention.

"What is it, my lord?" the little imp asked.

"That scent again," the dog demon muttered.

Sesshomaru would never admit this to anybody, but new smells fascinated him. When he had first met Kagome, he could have stood there and sniffed her all day. The smells from her world were so varied and endlessly interesting. Last night, he had smelled something very similar but mixed with something familiar. A demon smell. And now that he was closer, he realized there was more than one. And one of them was…

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken whimpered.

Sesshomaru walked on. The scent had faded again so he couldn't be sure. But for a moment, he thought he caught his own scent wafting on the morning breeze.

9

The hanging wooden slats over Kaede's doorway rustled, making Robin look up from her seat on the floor. Amon stopped just inside and looked back at her. The light of day made him look slightly lonely. Robin knew he'd been up since dawn, anxious to start the hunt again. It didn't seem to matter to him that the others were probably worried sick on the other side of the well. At breakfast she had proposed that she should go back just to tell them everything was okay. But Amon didn't want her traveling alone with the jewel shard and he wouldn't leave while Volando Petra was still alive.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"They have to do Kaede's chores while they stay here. That's the arrangement."

Amon turned away from Robin and faced the door again, just as he had the night before. She was starting to worry about him again. He was becoming obsessed with this hunt. Only an hour ago, he had turned up his nose at a grilled fish the others had offered him. Robin was sure it wasn't because he was spoiled by Harry's cooking. He was just too nervous to eat. He wasn't even teasing Inuyasha like usual. She was sure he would be alright after the hunt was over, but still… The hanging slats moved again and Kagome poked her head inside.

"Alright, we're going now," she said and disappeared from the doorway.

Amon threw a look over his shoulder at Robin before following Kagome out the door. Robin trotted after him. They joined the rest of the group on the path back towards the well where they would pick up the witch's trail. It all looked so different in daylight. And the air was so clean. Robin could hardly believe the blue sky. Of course Amon wasn't noticing any of it. He kept his eyes on the ground, watching for fresh footprints. Robin made a concerted effort not to concern herself with him for a while. The bronze rings on Miroku's staff set up a jingling rhythm that was perfect to walk with. After a minute or two Robin found herself walking beside the monk on the path.

"Dojima talks about you sometimes in her letters," he said.

"She talks about you sometimes too," Robin replied.

"Does she? Well then, would you consider…"

"No."

"But I didn't even…"

"No."

"She's got your number, Houshi-sama," Sango said with a laugh.

The others snickered as well, except Amon. Robin noticed him listening, his head half turned to the side. But he turned away as soon as he noticed her looking. The well was in sight now and everybody was suddenly more alert.

"Do you sense the shard?" Inuyasha asked Kagome.

"I sense the shard we have. The second one is faint. I'm not sure exactly where it's coming from."

"Footprints," Amon said, drawing everyone's attention. He had circled the well and found what he was looking for. Inuyasha took over from there, sniffing his way into the woods with the others following him.


	4. Chapter 4

10

Volando Petra ducked behind a tree and stopped to rest. He had a feeling he had passed this way before. He was heading back towards the well. He didn't understand what had happened. How had he ended up in this nightmare? One moment he was jumping down a well to hide from hunters and the next, he was running for his life from monsters. All night, he had wandered aimlessly through the woods, hoping that the hunters had not followed him. But at dawn there were more horrors waiting.

A loud hissing made Petra freeze. The long body of a centipede demon skittered past him through the undergrowth. Petra stuck his hand in his pocket and felt for his stone pegs. He only had a few left now. But it didn't matter. The centipede didn't notice him as it moved on. The good news was that he didn't have to fight this time. The bad news was that the demon was wandering somewhere between him and the well. But that didn't matter either. He could just come back later. He left the shelter of the tree and walked back the way he'd come, moving farther away from the well. He had all the time in the world.

11

"The shard's getting fainter again," Kagome said.

"Damn, what's going on?" Inuyasha growled in frustration.

Amon said nothing but he felt the same. They had been traveling roughly in the same direction for an hour and this was all they could come up with. The footprints had only led them in circles and Inuyasha's nose got confused by the crossed trails. They had decided to rely on Kagome's jewel shard sense, but that didn't seem to be leading anywhere either. When the shard's aura had started to become stronger, they'd thought that maybe the end was in sight. But now Amon was losing patience. Could it be that Petra was just jerking them around? No, that was impossible. The witch was probably scared out of his mind. After all, he'd been alone in the woods all night while Amon and Robin were among allies.

Amon found himself watching Robin out of the corner of his eye as she walked beside him. She always looked so peaceful and serene when she walked in the woods or in a park. She'd had that same look on her face the day they had explored Central Park. And on that hike in the Lake District. She was always suggesting things like that, as if she wanted to show him something. But he could never figure out what that something was. He wouldn't have the opportunity now either it seemed. The entire group had stopped and they were looking around warily.

"What is it?" Robin asked nobody in particular.

"Something's coming. Can't you feel it?" Inuyasha said.

Robin glanced at Amon and he nodded. Now that he was paying attention, there was a strange smell in the air. It was similar to a witch but not the same. Could this be…?

A flash of movement was all Amon saw before the centipede charged. He had time to draw his gun but not to use it. Robin was suddenly standing between him and the demon. The giant insect hit her fire shield and recoiled, shrieking. Amon took the opportunity and fired a single shot into the centipede's mouth. The creature twisted and writhed and squealed in agony.

Amon watched it with his usual blank expression. But some part of him was enjoying it. He was almost sorry when Inuyasha stepped up to finish it. It was only the second time he had seen the transformed Tetsusaiga and it surprised him again. But it made sense now. A giant weapon for a giant enemy. Amon noticed the others step back and he and Robin did the same. The centipede had recovered slightly and it tried to charge again.

"Windscar," Inuyasha yelled and swung his sword. The flash of light made Amon shield his eyes and then the pieces of demon flesh fell all around. Inuyasha sheathed his sword again.

"I hate those things. They're so annoying," Kagome commented as she started walking again.

12

Sesshomaru looked down at the human approaching him. This was no demon, not even a half-demon. But the scent didn't lie.

"What are you? And why do you smell like a demon?" the dog demon demanded.

The human drew back, scowling.

"I don't know what you are, but I'm a witch."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes slightly. A witch? He was 400 years old but he'd never seen one of these before. A human who smelled like a demon. Was that the next step after half-demon?

The witch kept moving back under the demon's cool gaze and eventually turned and walked away.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Jaken inquired as he came up by his master's side.

"Follow him," the dog demon commanded.

"Yes, my lord," the imp replied, overjoyed to be doing something useful.


	5. Chapter 5

13

Robin was getting used to having demons around. She petted Kilala's soft fur whenever she found herself close enough. She hardly noticed Inuyasha's ears anymore. She was beginning to wonder which demon she was descended from. She didn't even react when Shippo jumped onto her shoulder.

"That was good shielding back there," he said.

"Thank you," Robin replied.

"I'm not that good yet. But I will be when I get stronger."

"You use a fire shield too?"

"Only when I have to. I held off a house fire once."

"That's pretty good."

"It took a lot of energy though."

"That's okay. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Are there any normal wells in this country?"

Shippo tilted his head to the side, not understanding.

"Never mind," Robin said and glanced at Amon. His eyes were narrowed as they always were when he smelled a witch.

"Is he close?" she asked him quietly, drawing closer to him.

"Is who close?" Shippo asked.

"Petra," Amon replied and nodded.

"Should we be on our guard?" Sango asked from behind them.

"Yeah," Amon said without turning around.

A dark cloud seemed to descend on the group. Robin knew this cloud well. She had always called it anxiety, but its real name was fear. She reminded herself that courage didn't exist without fear. They were walking towards a high hill that seemed to loom over them as they drew closer. Robin was gazing up the slope when a dark figure appeared on the path at the top.

"Amon," she said, getting his attention.

"Is that him?" Inuyasha asked, putting his hand on his sword.

"Yeah," Amon replied. "Let us handle it."

The figure at the top of the hill stopped and dodged behind a tree.

"He's seen us," Robin said. "Take cover."

They all jumped off the path into the woods before Petra's shot hit. The stone peg struck the middle of the path with a spray of dirt.

14

Petra cursed at his lousy luck. He had only two pegs left. If he didn't take care of these hunters quickly, he'd have to start picking up dull rocks from the ground. He hated doing that. The ones he sharpened himself were so much better. But no time to think about that now. He could see the hunters and their friends moving behind the trees at the bottom of the hill. In a minute they would start moving closer to get better aim. But they couldn't get too close or he'd be able to shoot them despite the trees. If he tried to run, they would chase him. It was a stalemate.

A rustling in the undergrowth behind Petra made him catch his breath. Had one of them managed to circle around already? He whirled around and fired one of his pegs. The small creature standing a little way down the hill yelped and fell backwards.

"Sesshomaru-sama," he wailed as he rolled down to the bottom of the hill. He came to rest on the path and lay still. Petra recognized him of course, but he wasn't worried. He'd be long gone by the time that demon found his sidekick dead.

15

Robin was right on Amon's heels as he charged up the hill with his gun at his shoulder. Petra was distracted. Now was their chance. If they could get close, he wouldn't be able to react fast enough. Petra turned and saw them as they broke from the tree cover. He reached out to launch his last peg at them but Amon leveled his gun at the same moment. The peg and the bullet flew past each other through the warm afternoon air. The bullet pierced Petra's heart and threw his body back against a tree.

The peg came within a few yards of Amon before Robin leapt out in front of him. The peg hit her fire shield and stuck in mid-air. Petra's hand was still outstretched, pushing the peg forward even as he died. Robin's jaw tightened as the peg inched closer. Why wasn't he dying fast enough? It had to be the jewel shard. A little movement in the corner of her eye caught Robin's attention.

She had forgotten all about Shippo who had been clinging to her shoulder the whole time. Now he was throwing his blue foxfire at the peg to compound Robin's own shield. Amon moved smoothly up to Petra at the crest of the hill and raised his gun again. The second shot went through the witch's hand, sending the jewel shard sailing down into Inuyasha's waiting hand.

Petra gasped and slumped down on the ground, finally dead. The stone peg dropped from the midst of the blue and orange flames. Robin and Shippo both breathed a sigh of relief as they let their fire die. It suddenly occurred to Robin that Petra had been the last shard-witch. With him gone, she and Amon could have their lives back. She looked up at Amon who was still standing on the top of the hill. She was hoping to make eye contact but something on the other side of the hill was holding his attention.


	6. Chapter 6

16

Sesshomaru looked down at Jaken's dead body. He must have been caught by that witch. How irritating to have to rescue him all the time. The dog demon drew his magical sword, Tenseiga. He didn't even lift it over his head before bringing it down to slice through the body. It took a few moments for Jaken to come back, his eyes opening and widening.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" he cried out with obvious joy.

Sesshomaru was about to walk away, but the wind changed and there was that scent again, so strong that the creature had to be close by. The dog demon scanned the slope of the hill until his eyes reached the top. He saw a human, but he smelled something more. Another dog demon?

17

Amon froze as his eyes and the demon's eyes met. That was him, Sesshomaru. Amon's mind went completely blank. It didn't even occur to him to be afraid. He didn't sense any danger from the stranger in white, only curiosity. He stood there for what felt like a long time, until he felt a hand grab his wrist. It was Robin. She was pulling him down from the crest of the hill and back towards the others. Thoughts came flooding back into Amon's mind all at once. She so rarely did things like that. She must really be worried… or scared…

"I'm sorry I scared you before."

She had said that to him the morning after they had escaped from the Factory. They had been standing together in a crowded train car on the way to Narita Airport. Robin had suddenly reached over and taken hold of his coat. He had looked at her strangely and heard her say it.

"What do you mean?" he had asked in reply.

"You were ready to shoot me. I must have scared you… when I used my craft to kill that witch. And… I'm sorry... that I made you think you couldn't trust me."

"I wasn't scared," he had said, knowing it was a lie.

"Liar," she had said with a gentle smile.

Why did that conversation come back to him now? And why was Robin still pulling on his wrist when they were halfway down the hill already?

18

It was just past dusk when the group arrived at the well. Kagome sat down on the wooden boards to rest. She noticed that Shippo had not left Robin's shoulder since the fight that afternoon. They certainly had grown close in such a short time. Amon hadn't said a word the whole way back, which wasn't unusual for him. But Kagome got the feeling that his brain was working furiously, which _was_ unusual. He still didn't say anything as he handed Robin their last jewel shard. She would need it to get home.

"Thank you for your help," Robin said.

"No big deal," Inuyasha replied. "We got a jewel shard out of it."

"I'll be around to pick up that last one sometime tomorrow, okay?" Kagome threw in.

"Okay," Robin said.

Amon jumped up onto the side of the well, signaling that it was time to go. Shippo jumped off Robin's shoulder onto the grass.

"Will you come back and visit sometime?" he asked.

"I'll try. I don't have much family left," she said.

Shippo tilted his head to the side again.

Amon wasn't prepared to wait anymore. He jumped down the well, sending the pink light up from the bottom. Robin was quick to follow him, throwing a goodbye over her shoulder as she disappeared down the shaft.

Inuyasha snorted. "Well, that's the first time I ever saw a fox chase a dog down a hole," he snickered.

The others laughed as well, but Shippo gasped.

"What!?" he squealed. He leapt up onto the side of the well and yelled down into the darkness. "Hey, wait!"


	7. Chapter 7 End

19

Amon was glad to have the paved road under his shoes and the streetlights above his head again. The office building at Raven's Flat looked so inviting, its fifth floor windows ablaze with man-made light. Even this late, the others were still there waiting. On the way up in the elevator, Amon held his hand out to Robin. She gave back the shard right away for the second time, but there was something else he wanted from her now.

"Back at the hill… Why did you pull me away?" he asked.

"Because I don't want you to disappear," she said simply.

The two turned and looked at each other for a moment before the steel doors opened on the office and the others jumped up.

"Didn't I say they'd be back," Michael said.

"Where have you been?" Karasuma asked.

"You had us worried. Why didn't you call us?" Sakaki demanded.

"I'm sorry," Robin said.

"Did you think we were dead?" Amon asked.

"I didn't," Michael said proudly. "But Dojima did."

"I did not," Dojima snapped defensively.

"Yeah you did. You were going through their stuff," Sakaki accused her.

"I wasn't going through it. I was just putting it all in order so it would be nice and neat when they got back."

"Yeah, sure, Dojima. We believe you."

Through all the happy noise around them, the dog and the fox glanced at each other. It felt so good to be home.

20 - Epilogue

Dear Miroku,

Of course I told Robin about your question. I told everyone about your question. And you were doomed to failure on that one anyway. I think she has someone else in mind for that particular function.

And just by the way, Robin keeps saying that the WacDonalds was called something else before. I don't know what she's talking about. Could that be one of those things that we changed?

Yours always, Dojima

P.S. Oh yeah, do that again…

Dear Dojima,

I like to surprise women with that question. You know that. It's not fun if she's not surprised.

Well, if the name of a fast food chain is the biggest thing we've changed, I think we're doing pretty well.

Passionately yours, Miroku

P.S. You mean this?

The End… or is it…

Review please… Thank you to all the reviewers. And thank you to Amon's Angel of the Darkness for being my beta for the last few chapters. Thanks to Ayjah and Angel452 as well for all the encouragement.

Story Notes:

Like Agatha Takamaime from the original Hunting Dogs, Volando Petra's name means something. "Volando" is Spanish for "flying" and "petra" is Latin for stone. So his name means "flying stone." Fitting, isn't it?

I know that eventually someone will ask me about my reference to Sesshomaru's tail in chapter 3. Let me just say that Rumiko Takahashi herself has confirmed that that's exactly what his fur piece is. She said that she drew it wrapping around his shoulder because it looked good that way. And when you think about it, he's a dog. He should have a tail. In fact, Amon should have a tail too. But his would be smaller and black like his hair. Come to think of it, maybe that's why he always wears his long coat when he's out in public. To hide his tail.

Also, regarding Amon's flashback in chapter 6, Narita Airport is the major international airport serving Tokyo. It's been open and busy as hell for over twenty years. If Amon and Robin wanted to leave Japan fast, that's probably where they would end up. And that flashback taking place on a train isn't BS either. There are two railway lines that pass through Narita Airport. The Narita line and the Seikei line. Let it never be said that I don't do my research. Actually, having them _standing_ in the train had special meaning for me. One of my favorite scenes in WHR was Robin's dream sequence in which she and Amon are standing in a train and when she reaches out to touch him, he disappears. I crafted Amon's flashback to echo that scene.

Thank you again to all the reviewers. And check out the sequels, "Adventures of FireFox and BlackDog" and "Hunting Dogs 3". HD3 is being posted in the Hellsing section.


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